Monthly Archives: February 2014

Packing For a Caribbean Getaway

Happy Friday from  Puerto Rico!  I’ll try no to rub it in too much for those of you in the Northeast.  It’s so nice to be in a warm and sunny place after the past few snowy weeks we’ve had!

I planned this girls getaway with three of my best girlfriends.  Sometimes you just need a girlcation!  Since we are only here for four nights we didn’t want to pack too much and have to check a bag.  This means strategic packing was in order.  I think I pride myself on being a good packer.  Having studied abroad, travelled throughout Europe, and backpacked through Peru, I’ve had a fair share of practice!

Things to think about when packing:

  • How long are you staying?
  • How will you spend your days? Beach? Pool? Sight seeing?
  • How will you spend your nights?  Casual nights out? Fancy dinners?
  • Will you be exercising at all?
  • Will you be doing any excursions / tours /activities?
  • What items do I use on a daily basis when getting ready for a normal day?

These are some questions I think about before packing for a little getaway.  It helps break it down and get your mind wrapped around what you need.

Here’s my packing list for a Caribbean Getaway:

Clothes

  • 3 bathing suits

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  • 2 nice dresses
  • 1 pair of nice shorts
  • 1 pair of pants for going out
  • 1 nice tank top for going out

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  • 2 pairs of yoga pants
  • 2 tank tops for working out
  • 2 sports bras

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  • 2 pairs of shorts for bed
  • 4 tank tops for bed / lounging around / beach
  • 4 beach cover up / dresses

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  • 1 pair of wedge sandals
  • 1 pair of flip flops
  • 1 pair of sandals

Toiletries (All 3oz or under)

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  • Sunblock
  • Shampoo / Conditioner (I had some samples I saved)
  • Body Wash
  • Body Lotion
  • Face Wipes
  • Body Splash
  • Q-Tips
  • Contacts
  • Toothbrush / Toothpaste
  • Razor
  • Small Brush
  • Curling Iron

Annnd….it all fit!

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Okay, off to enjoy my vacation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Open Faced Bacon and Egg Portobello Sandwich

I need to work on my recipe naming.  This one is a bit long.  I couldn’t decide if I could really call this a sandwich since it only had a bottom hence the “open faced”.  Then I struggled with putting every ingredient in the title.  Do I call it an Open Faced Bacon Egg Spinach Avocado Portobello Sandwich? Whoa…definitely not.  I finally settled on Open Faced Bacon and Egg Portobello Sandwich.  That works!

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Mother Nature has been a bit rowdy this week here in Connecticut.  She dumped a bunch of snow on us…twice.  It forced me to do a lot of home workouts and come up with a new recipe.  I guess I’ll forgive her.

This Open Faced Bacon and Egg Portobello Sandwich was awesome tasting.  Logistically speaking, it was a bit tough to eat without everything falling apart all over the plate.  I played around a bit with the layering order but was mostly too hungry so just ate it as it was.

Open Faced Bacon and Egg Portobello Sandwich

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  • 1 Portobello Mushroom
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 Pieces of Bacon
  • Handful of Spinach
  • 1/2 Ripe Avocado
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Take your portobello mushroom and wipe it with a damp paper towel.  Remove the stem and scoop out the scales with a spoon.  NomNomPaleo has a great basic tutorial here.  Brush both sides of mushrooms with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.  Put the mushroom in the oven on a baking dish or tin foil for 15 minutes.

While the mushroom is in the oven start your sandwich components.  First I cut the 2 pieces of bacon in half to make 4 smaller pieces.  Cook those over medium heat until desired crispiness. Remove bacon and set aside.  Cook 2 eggs in the bacon grease sunny side up or over hard.

Once the mushroom is done cooking start layering.  The first time I did the eggs, then spinach, then bacon, and topped it with avocado.  IMG_1883

 

The second time I layered mushroom, bacon, eggs, spinach, and then avocado.  This way was easier to eat! (but not as pretty of a picture)

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How would you layer this?  And what would you have called it?

Tomorrow I’m off to….wait for it….Puerto Rico!! I can not wait for some sun, sand, warm weather, and beach cocktails!  I’ll report back soon!

A Vermont Weekend In Pictures

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope your week is off to a good start even if you’re in the Northeast and dealing with more snow.  Hopefully you had a snow day and got to enjoy some time relaxing at home.  I didn’t have a snow day so it’s a pretty typical Monday for me!

This weekend was Andy’s birthday.  We celebrated with a weekend away  with friends at Okemo  Mountain in Ludlow, Vermont.  It was such a great weekend!  There’s just something I love about the feel of a ski town, a cozy ski house, and of course spending the weekend with friends and skiing!  I actually did a pretty good job of taking pictures this weekend!

We stayed at Brookhaven Condos about a mile from the mountain.  They were three bedroom, two bathroom units that came with a fireplace and deck!

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We got there on Friday night and settled in.  We stocked the fridge and bar immediately upon our arrival with food and drinks!

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I had made Andy’s “birthday cake” earlier in the day.

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I made Cookie Pie Ice Cream Bites from PaleOMG.  They were absolutely amazing.  A little bite of heaven really.

 

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Andy was excited to try them!

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After indulging in too much dessert and too many cocktails / wine we were feeling pretty good!

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I woke up the next morning like a little kid on Christmas morning, excited for the day but especially excited to step out on our deck and see our view!

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We headed to the mountain and took our first run.

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It was such a gorgeous day for skiing!

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The top of the mountain had such a pretty view!

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It was sunny most of the day.  Looks like I was trying to be artsy with my pictures.

 

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So I lied. I thought I did a great job taking pictures but I just realized I didn’t take any on Saturday night!  After a couple of drinks at the lodge we came back to the condo and had some of Andy’s yummy homemade chili.  The rest of the night was game night.  It was so much fun.  We played Cranium, Quarters, and Heads Up.  Head’s Up is an app you download and play right on your phone.  It was SO much fun!

After a great night, we slept in a bit on Sunday before heading back to Connecticut.  Once we got on the road I had my camera out ready to snap away at the Vermont landscape.

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There’s just something about driving on these roads that I love.  It’s like looking into a different world.  Life seems so peaceful and simple.

 

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I knew we were driving by the Vermont Country Store so of course had to make Andy stop.

 

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It looked too cute not to stop.

 

 

 

 

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This place was like a dream.

 

 

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It was Free Sample Heaven!!

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Jellies and fruit spreads.

 

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Ah, the fudge!  I tried a Maple Walnut kind.  Oh my, melt in your mouth amazing.

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A whole candy bar.

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They even had a little wooden covered bridge.  It had a sign that read “Vermont Country Store Kissing Bridge.”  Now that I think about it I should have had Andy take a picture with me under that. That would have been very Instagram worthy.  Oh well, next time!

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How was your weekend?  Where is your favorite place to go skiing?

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